Traditional crutches invariably have a staff (sometimes referred to as a stick or cane) or a composite staff assembly with an upper transverse support for engagement in a person's armpit and a handle between the upper support and a foot at the operatively lower end of the crutch. Whilst still enjoying wide use in many instances, such traditional crutches have been replaced in more recent times, at least to some extent, by lightweight forearm crutches that have an inclined forearm support at the operatively upper end of a staff with which a user's wrist and forearm can be engaged in order to provide added stability and control and a handle at a free end of the forearm support. Such crutches, in instances in which their use is appropriate, are less cumbersome than the traditional crutch that is outlined above. are less tiring to use; and provide for added maneuverability.
Nevertheless, the forearm crutches that are presently available cannot, as far as applicant is concerned, be adequately adjusted for individual requirements; they may impart unnecessary strain on the wrist or hands of a user; and appear to be limited in application due to limited support afforded by them.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,671,765 to Hagberg Jr describes one form of forearm crutch that has some desirable properties including the feature of the position and angle of the joint between the forearm support assembly and the supporting ground engaging staff being selected from a plurality of different possibilities. However, the selection of any particular possibility is achieved utilizing a series of different combinations of aligned holes to provide different angles of inclination of the forearm support assembly relative to the staff and positions of attachment to the staff. It is applicant's view that the adjustment provided by this prior art patent is totally inadequate to take into account the wide variety of different requirements of different individuals.